The present invention relates to a drinking receptacle. More particularly, the present invention is a cup intended to reduce or eliminate spillage of liquid from around a frozen food retained within the rim of the receptacle.
The prior art is replete with drinking cups and accessories which reduce the tendency of the cup to spill liquid. A well known apparatus is the use of a thin plastic lid or cap to close the top of the receptacle. To enable the withdrawal of the liquid contents from capped receptacles it is necessary to provide a straw opening. These prior art devices are principally designed to retain ice and liquid within the body of the container.
There are far fewer receptacles designed to support a frozen food product such as a snow cone, an ice cream scoop, a frozen ice pop, or ice cream bar. U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,998 discloses a frozen confection holder and receptacle designed to hold the frozen confection in an upright position while being eaten, or while awaiting consumption. A trough-like upper dish is provided with a slot to maintain the stick of the frozen confection in an upright position. There is no teaching in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,998 for catching drips from any frozen product not supported on a stick. Further, there is no teaching or disclosure of a structure to allow the receptacle to be tilted to facilitate drinking liquids from the upper lip of the receptacle.
The present invention allows for a convenience store to maintain one style of drinking receptacle which functions both to dispense liquids such as soft drinks, water, and coffee, and also be capable of supporting a frozen food product while directing melting drips from the product back into the liquid containment chamber. In the present invention a standard lid may be utilized where desired because the outside diameter of the rim of the present invention may be sized to conventional standards. The vertical, annular support ridge of the present invention within the rim is positioned below the uppermost edge of the rim and, therefore, does not interfere with a standard lid.
The present invention is a significant improvement in the art and solves long-standing standardization of materials problems common in the food and beverage dispensing industry. The receptacle of the present invention may be constructed from any of the standard material compositions used in the industry.
The present invention is a receptacle which may function as a drinking cup or as a frozen food product drip catcher. A cylindrical cup is provided with an outwardly sloping rim and an interior, vertical annular ridge. The ridge has liquid draining notches which allow liquid to communicate with the space between the rim and the ridge and the interior liquid containment chamber.
The ridge is disposed such that its uppermost edge is below the uppermost edge of the outwardly sloping rim. This allows the receptacle to accept a standard lid for closing the open top of the receptacle.
When a frozen food product such as a snow cone is placed in the receptacle, the product is supported on the interior, annular ridge while the outwardly sloping rim may catch drips from the melting product. The flowable drips are then directed through the notches in the ridge into the interior liquid containment chamber. This feature allows the consumer to avoid messy drips on his/her hands and/or clothes.